


291 - Bondy/Reader Make Van Jello

by storiesaboutvan



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 08:49:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15860265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan
Summary: Filling the prompt “reader & bondy tryna make van jealous” with bonus points for Van being unbothered by it because he’s Secure And Good





	291 - Bondy/Reader Make Van Jello

**Author's Note:**

> BONDY/READER/VAN DYNAMIC IS GREAT. This one is a little more complicated than the usual ones with that theme. It’s definitely a Reader/Van story, but with a Bondy side story. I think you’ll like it. It’s ~~smexy~~ (remember when people legitimately used that word?)(disgusting).

The arm of the couch wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to sit, and with the room emptying there were certainly other spots you could relocate to. Yet, there you remained. There would be patterns pressed into the skin of your thighs. Your spine would probably start to ache from sitting without a backrest. And, yet, there you remained.

…

When Catfish came off stage, sweaty and buzzing, they all fell into their routines almost immediately. Your presence in their backstage green room didn’t seem to be much of an event to them. Well, to some of them.

Bob Hall was through the doorway first. He smiled at you, but proceeded to what you assumed was his bag. You’d seen Bob, and all the guys, in your sister’s Snapchats. It was her second tour with them and she knew to keep them off her other socials. The antics of the guys and crew were a private show for you and the rest of her friends. The way that Bob simply accepted you sitting there suggested that he recognised you like you did him.

“Hey… Ah… Daph’s sister, yeah?” from Benji Blakeway as he sat down on the couch you were sitting cross-legged on.

“Yeah. Hey. Y/N,”

“Benji. So you just visiting her? How long you out here?”

“Just this city. Can’t be gone from uni for any longer,” you replied with a shrug.

“Aw, fuck me!” called a voice from the door. You watched Johnny Bond saunter into the room, gather four beers in his hands, then turn to the room. His eyes landed on you immediately. “I know you,”

“I know you too,” you said with a grin, which he returned.

Bondy walked to Bob and held out a beer. From where he was kneeling on the ground, sorting his things, Bob shook his head. 

“Nah, thanks, mate,” he said, standing. He slung his bag over his shoulder. “Gonna slip out before it gets too mad. I’ll see yous later,”

“Alright, Sideshow,” Benji said.

“Got the girly back at the hotel, hmm?” Bondy teased. “Or you got something romantic planned with Joseph?”

“Or both,” you suggested, maybe overstepping your place.

“Like how you think, lady,” Bondy said.

“Bye, guys,” Bob farewelled as he left the room.

“What ‘bout you, Blake?” Bondy asked, turning to the bassist. Benji happily took the beer offered. “And one for the lady?”

“You keep callin’ me that, but I don’t know it’s really… accurate,”

“You’re Daph’s baby sister. She ain’t nothing but a complete darling,” Bondy argued, twisting the lid off a bottle and handing it to you.

Without breaking eye contact, you took a good swig. It was good beer, but that didn’t mean you liked it much. Regardless, you kept a straight face. “We have the same taste in music, but that’s about where the similarities stop,”

“Well ain’t that just the most interesting thing,”

“Did you guys see that lad on the shoulders?!” yelled a person as they entered the room. All three of you turned to watch Van McCann shake out a lot of sweat from his hair, rub a towel around his face and head a little uselessly, then drop down onto the second couch; it sat opposite you with a chipped, scratched, and graffitied coffee table between your couch and it. “The one on the other lad’s shoulders and he was on another one’s? Like a fuckin’ human totem pool. Mad innit? Christ, that was a good one,”

“You’re not wrong,” Bondy agreed, glancing at you briefly before sitting down next to Van and handing him the fourth and final bottle.

“Cheers. Ah, fuck… I’m roasting,” Van complained. He wedged his beer bottle between his thighs, then unbuttoned his shirt until it was half open. He untucked it from his jeans, then peeled it over his head. You watched as a few beads of sweat escaped from his hair and trickled down his chest. A small, gold necklace that was begging to be polished sat clean against his skin.

There was a moment of collective calm as you the four of you took sips of beer and listened to the world outside of the green room. There was still the odd scream from the main theatre. Roadies and technicians in the hallway beyond the open door. Music coming from a speaker somewhere. Then, finally, Van paid attention to the room he was in.

“'Ello, love,”

“Hi… love,” you replied.

“Daph said yous were gonna sort a catch up. Didn’t know we’d get to meet ya,”

“Our lucky day, ain’t it?” Bondy responded quickly, before you could first and so his charm would be the most recent in your head.

From beside you, Benji snorted. “Did Mike say he needed to see us before we left or anythin’?” he asked his bandmates.

“Don’t think so,” Van answered with a shrug.

“You saw Robert depart our sweet company,” Bondy said with the weird drama you’d expect of him based on social media presence and second-hand sister-told stories alone.

“Right. I’m fuckin’ off then. I need 'bout twenty hours of sleep… and maybe a fuckin’ bubble bath,”

“Did ya see the bath in Larry’s room? It’s like a spa! It’s huge! Could fit twenty of the little rat in there!” Van told Benji excitedly.

“How does he always get the good room?” Benji asked as he stood and put his half-finished bottle on the table.

“I don’t know, but I got one of the key cards. It’s in me bag’s front pocket, mate.”

As Benji moved over to where the pile of backpacks and bags were, people arrived in the room - Daphne included. She squealed when she saw you and ran the last few steps to the couch. You jumped up and into her arms. God, you had missed her. The hug was good and healing, and you liked how tightly she squeezed you. Neither of you bothered moving to get out people’s way as they came to join Van and Bondy for a drink. When you finally came apart, Daph held your face in her hands and pushed your cheeks together.

“Missed ya, little sis!”

“I guess I missed you a little bit,” you replied nonchalantly.

Daph shook her head and grinned. “Glad you’re here. Sure you can’t stay longer?”

“Just the weekend. Told you - got finals next week. Gotta get my shit together,”

“Right, right. But you can party tonight, yeah? 'Cause we all got the day off tomorrow,” Daph said excitedly as she pushed her way between the couch arm and a random guy that may have been someone important but that kind of thing never meant much to the down-to-earth Daphne.

“I can always party,” you told her, moving to sit on the arm of the couch.

…

The green room was filled with musicians, tour managers, bus drivers, roadies, engineers, friends, and family. Daph stayed in her spot, letting people and drinks come to her. You were curious about everyone though and happily circulated the room talking to strangers and making friends. When you found your way back to your sister, falling onto her lap and eliciting a winded, “ommph!” what you had felt to be true was confirmed. Both Van and Bondy had been tracking you with interest in their eyes and scarlet on their minds.

“Think our fast-fingered overlords are itchin’ to get to know you,” Daph said.

At 'fast-fingered’ you’d spat beer out in a shocked laugh. Staring at her, you said, “You’ve been hanging around, like, boys too much,”

“Yeah, you’re right. I should leave. Think they’re getting a couple of little bus taxis or somethin’ in a minute. Reckon I might head back to the hotel,”

“What happened to partying?” you asked with a pout.

“Ah… What happened is that it happened. It’s almost three, Y/N. Been in this room for a while now. Fuckin’ smells… You’re welcome to stay. Catch a ride with whoever’s still standin’ when the beer runs out.”

It was a great idea. Honestly, you were surprised she’d even suggested it. Touring had changed her; it had made her more easy going and laid back. It was personality development that was all sorts of glorious.

“I love you,” you told her.

“Yeah, I know. Just… don’t make 'em fall in love with your or anythin’, yeah? I like this job. Don’t need anything to complicate it,”

“Alright, Walk to Remember. Calm down. Nobody’s falling in love in this movie.”

Daph bid farewell to the room as she departed with a lot of other people. You’d been sitting on the couch’s armrest again when she stood and walked away. There weren’t many people left. But, before you could even survey the room and make a play, Van sat where Daph had been and grinned up at you.

“Not stickin’ with ya sister?” he rhetorically asked.

“I’m a big girl, you know what I mean?”

“I know what you mean,” Van replied, grinning again.

You’d kicked your shoes off earlier. Barefoot had always been your preference. Sitting on the armrest, you had your feet up on the seat and was facing inward. Van lounged casually, like he was born to be in that exact location. He put an arm across your legs, using them like he could have been using the armrest.

“So, Daph’s told me heaps about you,” he said.

“All bad, I hope,” you replied.

Van smiled and tilted his head a little. You had the same type of sass as him. You flirted in the same way he did. Van, being the pro-self Leo he was, loved that. And it didn’t take long for you to find a hundred things you loved about him.

Landing in the foreign city, you cursed at yourself for wearing denim shorts. The air outside the airport was crisp and any hope you had that maybe it was just all the wind from the planes or something was dashed when the Uber driver greeted with, “Shit, it’s a cold one tonight. Middle of a snap, I reckon.” However, Van had slowly moved to be leaning on your legs, his arms wrapped around them. It was still casual, like maybe it was an accident he ended up that way. You knew better though. In all likelihood, he knew you knew better. And in your denim shorts, you got skin on skin contact. Van had eventually put a clean shirt on after his post-concert stripping, but it was a just a t-shirt that hung loosely from his frame.

Van’s skin was warm against yours. Everything in the room was warm against you. The air, although growing stale and, by Daph’s correct omission, smelly, was toasty. The couch below you was probably dirty and a city of germs, but it too was snug. It was like the environment was designed to keep you in place.

Hours went by with you and Van staying that close. He’d call to Larry or Owen to bring a couple of beers over. Not telling him that you thought it tasted like cat pee, you swallowed with a straight face. Probably a bad precedent to set. Even when the music was turned way down and most people went back to the hotel, you stayed happy right there. The arm of the couch wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place to sit, and with the room emptying there were certainly other spots you could relocate to. Yet, there you remained. There would be patterns pressed into the skin of your thighs. Your spine would probably start to ache from sitting without a backrest. And, yet, there you remained.

“Sorry to, ah, interrupt, but they’re kickin’ us out now. Gonna be daylight soon,” Larry announced to the room.

Van took your hand and lead you through the hallway and into the night, following Larry as he lead the pack. There were only six people left of the party, apart from the two of you. Behind you was Bondy and the singer of the opening act’s band. Bond was relatively subdued, which you wanted to believe was because it wasn’t his arm wrapped around your waist. Bringing up the rear was Owen and two of the opener’s roadies.

At something-past-five in the morning, the city felt a lot less exciting. Van was still buzzing warm though. He was honey, slowly covering more of your skin. Sickly sweet. Ethically questionable. Tasty as fuck. It didn’t matter what was happening around you, as long as he was by your side.

“Oi, oi!” Owen yelled. “Look at this luck… Yeah, taxi!” He flagged down the taxi that had turned the corner with its top light shining bright. “Shotgun. Which three of ya want in?”

Larry was crawling into the backseat before anyone could even speak. Van snorted, amused at his best friend. “Always been a bit of a lightweight,”

“Don’t know if sunrise is lightweight material,” you replied, defending Larry’s honour as you watched Owen take the front passenger seat and the two roadies pile in the back.

The taxi pulled out into the street then disappeared into the city.

“How far’s the hotel?” Van asked the remaining two last people standing.

“Ahh… Couple minutes by car…” the singer answered. What was his name again? Started with an L maybe.

“Google says ten minute walk,” Bondy added, looking at his phone screen intently.

“Yous gonna walk or…” Van said, indirectly making it clear that they were a separate grouping to you and him.

“Might as well. It’s the healthy thing to do,” Bondy said, then smirked as he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. It made you laugh, which made him genuinely smile.

“Can someone carry this then?” you asked the group, taking the backpack you had slung over your shoulder and holding it out. The smart thing to do would have been to give all your bags to the guys in the taxi. None of you had sober enough minds for that though.

“Here,” Bondy said immediately, taking your bag and putting it on. “I don’t got nothing to carry. All my shit’s in the room. 'Sides, looks like Van’s got his hands full,”

“Well, thank you,” you said sweetly, but Bondy had already started to walk ahead, Lewis… Lawrence… no… Luke… Levi… whatever, at his side. You were happy to hear that Bondy was still teasing and not legitimately salty. Maybe there was a hint of jealousy in his tone, definitely a lot of mouthiness, but kind playfulness too.

Van had his backpack on, both straps secure. The canvas material gently rubbed against your arm as you hooked it around him. You’d always hated walking so close to another person; you could never figure out how to synchronise movements enough for it not to be awkward. Somehow it wasn’t like that with Van. The alcohol in your system was the best explanation you had of that. It was the only one you were willing to entertain.

“So, ah, you got a key to Daph’s room? Reckon she got a double and everythin’,” Van enquired with a feigned tepidness.

“Do you think maybe it would be rude though? Like, don’t wanna wake her up or anythin’, you know what I mean?”

“Course, babe. You’re so considerate. Well, ah, guess the right thing to do then is offer you a place to crash then, huh?” He’d been working up to that all night. You could tell by the stupid grin on his face. When you’d looked up at him at the conclusion of his sentence, he was already keenly waiting for your reply. Those beautiful strange vampire teeth. Ugh.

“Yeah, s'pose it is.”

Google was probably right; it probably did take ten minutes to walk to the hotel. But, under the influence and in the company of Van, Bondy, and Landon/Leo/Lee/whatever, it felt like a second. You couldn’t even remember the walk in much clarity, and would have sworn you’d all just teleported to the hotel’s front doors in a matter of seconds.

The four of you stopped under the awning of the building and stood in a misshapen circle.

“Uh.. right, well, I’m freezin’ me ass off. Catch you lot later,”

“Laters, Linc,” Bondy said with a wave.

“Lincoln!” you whispered to yourself. Both Van and Bondy looked at you, but you didn’t feel it was worth the explanation. “Is there a reason why we’re still here?” you asked.

“Quick smoke before bed, innit,” Van explained, taking his backpack off and digging around in it for his carton of cigarettes.

“Fuck!” Bondy exclaimed, drawing your attention from Van. In his hands was his own carton, clearly empty. He didn’t remember smoking his last three during the walk. “Mate, you only got them fuckin’ heinous cheap smokes?”

“Mate! You want me to get a big head?! They keep me-” Van started, clearly on the defence as he stood up, slinging his backpack on. He’d found his cigarettes and was holding them like it was show and tell time.

“I know! I know! Christ. Don’t need to hear this fuckin’ story again. I’m gonna go jerk off or shower or fuckin’ raid the mini bar or somethin’,” Bondy interrupted. Both you and Van sniggered at him. Only Van knew he wasn’t joking. You sincerely hoped he wasn’t and definitely wanted to believe he was that blunt and that bold.

“Sounds like you’ve got a stellar morning lined up,” you said to him.

Bondy winked at you, then at Van. “If you want to join, you know where to find me,” he whispered, then walked away before either of you could say a proper goodbye.

“Was that directed at me or you? Or both of us?” you asked Van, turning to him.

Van was watching Bondy walk through the hotel lobby and repeatedly press the elevator button. His expression was one of confusion, with a hint of acceptance. “I honestly don’t know… I hardly ever know what he’s on about… Think maybe he’s an alien, you know what I mean? He’s just…”

“Beautifully weird,” you finished.

“Yeah… Ah… Anyways,” Van said, shaking his head and returning his attention to you. He drew a cigarette from the pack then lit his lighter up with a crisp flick.

“Wait!” you called, stepping up to him and pushing his lighter hand away from his cigarette hand. “Just before you do that, can I… Can I just try one thing real quick?”

Van’s face was fixed back to confusion. It was adorable and motivated you to continue with your current mission. Van nodded, watching you carefully. You were already standing in front of him. You were already close. All you needed to do was tippy toe up.

It took Van a second to kiss you back. When he did, he simultaneously dropped both his lighter and cigarette carton. They just dropped straight to the ground without a second thought. It made you giggle a little, but you didn’t break the kiss. Van smiled back and for a moment it was a mess. You’d never loved mess more.

It was a little pointless catching Van’s mouth before it tasted like cigarette. You had both been drinking for hours, snacking on corn chips and having burping competitions. Inevitably you both tasted pretty average. Even more inevitable than that was the kiss itself; you had both been dying to make it happen all night.

Van’s hands were warm and you could feel both the softness of his palms and the coarseness of his fingertips, scarred from guitar string cuts. He was holding you to him, rather than touching you for the sake of it. You had entirely expected him to be all over you, hands under as many layers as he could manage. Yet, he sat his hands on your hips, moving around to your lower back in gentle movements. It was calming and soothing and instead of getting all Hot And Heavy, you started to melt.

Breaking the kiss to breathe, you still stayed close. Van pushed his head against yours, nuzzling into the top of your head and ruffling up your already knotted hair. His hands were still on your back. You brought yours up and rested them on his chest, your forearms lying flat against Van too.

“Still wanna crash with me?” Van whispered.

Smiling like an idiot, you were thankful he was still busying himself with smelling your hair or whatever the fuck he was doing. You were also thankful that Daphne wasn’t around to see you swoon. She’d give you absolute hell.

“If you’ll have me,”

“Babe… Always,” Van replied, standing up straight and sliding away from you, offering a hand to take in the process. Through your drunken rose-tinted glasses, it was a smooth move. If anyone had asked the night manager standing at the reception desk in the hotel, watching you and Van through the big glass doors in disgust, she would have told a different story.

Van picked up his bag, then you started to walk hand-in-hand. You stopped suddenly. “Aren’t ya gonna have your smoke?” you remembered.

Van shrugged casually and continued on his way inside. Now, if anyone that knew Van had been asked about that they would have a thing or two to say about the rarity. Van may have just been born with a cigarette between his lips. Standing around, tapping ash into the most polite place was iconic Van. In a matter of hours, you’d been bumped up the list of imperative things, succeeding his tobacco dependency.

…

“Oi!” Daph yell-whispered in your ear, appearing out of nowhere and startling you. Almost making you drop the glass of orange juice in your hand, she was definitely starting the day on your bad side. “So what time did you get in?” she asked with a sly smile on her already made-up face.

When you didn’t answer immediately, she followed you down the hotel breakfast buffet line. You noticed she hadn’t picked up a plate to fill with pancakes, peaches, and pastries. And hash browns.

“You’re not eating?”

“I asked first,”

“Dunno… Maybe around sunrise,” you replied, brushing it off like it wasn’t a big deal. She eyed you off suspiciously, like only a big sister could.

“Was going to see if you wanted to go get a proper breakfast somewhere, but it looks like you’ve made plans. Who’s the second plate for?”

“Don’t be using that tone with me. You’re the one with a face full of makeup. That isn’t for me. You weren’t gonna take me to breakfast at all,” you countered, keeping your own tone casual.

“Kinda figured you’d still be in bed. With Van,” Daph said.

There was too much food. No. There was the right amount of food, but not enough hands to carry it. Daph reached over and picked up a tray from the pile and handed it to you. You hadn’t even seen them there.

“Gossiping already? It’s not even midday,”

“So, you were with Van? Is that for him? Where is he?” she asked, purposefully trying to annoy you. If that wasn’t clear by her words alone, she was poking you in the arm and side, completely entertained.

Daphne followed you from the buffet to a table. You sat, then looked up at her when she didn’t. She had her arms crossed dramatically.

“You look like Mum when you make that face,”

“Do you like him? Or are you just gonna have lots of gross band dude sex while you’re here? 'Cause I hear that Van’s not even the best in-”

“Hey, Daph!” Van called, walking into the hotel’s restaurant space. The room was bright with natural light and the windows were open. Van literally brought fresh air with him as he arrived. He passed Daph, sneaking in for a quick peck on the cheek, then sat next to you. “Van’s not even the best at what now?” he asked then, grinning up at her.

“Ah… singing… guitar… Fifa… makin’ tea… take your pick, McCann,” Daph said.

“I don’t much like you in the morning, Daph,” Van replied, grinning at her and faking a pout.

“Much prefer my little sister then?”

“What if I do?” he asked boldly.

Daphne just smiled, then caught your eye. She raised an eyebrow and you knew exactly what it meant.

“Just meet ya for lunch then? Since, you know, you flew 'ere to see me 'specially,” Daph said to you but glanced briefly at Van. He just sniggered quietly and started on the bacon and eggs you’d plated for him. “Meet you in the lobby at like, 1? 2?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” you replied with a nod.

“Make it 2,” Van added.

“1:30 it is,” Daph announced, raising her index and middle finger to her head and saluting you.

You waited until Daphne was gone before turning back to Van. He was halfway through his breakfast already. When you watched him for a moment, a small smile growing on your lips, he stopped eating and looked back at you.

“What?”

“Nothing… Why do you gotta mess with her?” you asked him while settling in to eat your own breakfast.

“What?! She messes with me! Nah, babe. It’s just a bit of fun. It’s a good thing, innit. Like, she’s one of the lids. If we was too nice to her then you’d know we don’t really… like… her,” he said, looking for a more diplomatic way of saying 'like her’ but failing and accepting his own bluntness.

“This job means everything to her,”

“Good. Means she’ll work as hard as us,” he said, reaching over to take your orange juice. He gulped it down. “I’ll get you more,”

“Nah. But you can make us a tea instead?”

Van smiled, all teeth and charm. He was different in the morning light. You’d realised that as soon as you had woke up beside him. Whatever thought you had of him the night before was lost to alcoholic amnesia. However hot and charming and fucking gorgeous you thought he was… However much you tingled when he looked at you… It changed in the morning.

Hungover, sleep deprived but well fucked both you and Van were different. He was softer. Sweeter. Goofy. Clumsy. Still brave. Still confident. Still sassy as fuck. Morning Van was kinda the perfect thing to take after a night of Party Van. Like aloe vera after the beach.

As Van set your cup of tea in front of you, he smiled to himself.

“So, was your plan to hang out with us till then? Till lunch with Daph?” he asked, pushing his empty plate away and looking over at what you had left. You didn’t understand why he’d chose to eat off your plate instead of just visiting the buffet again, but it seemed like a very Van thing to do.

“Do you mean 'us’ in the collective sense or the singular slang?” you replied, swatting his hand away from your hash brown.

“Would you want it to mean the singular?”

You couldn’t bring yourself to look over at him. The stupid as fuck smirk on his face would kill you; either it would send you into hysterics or straight to your knees. Regardless, you fuelled the fire because you just couldn’t help yourself.

“I would want it to mean the singular if you do that thing you did last night… You know the one?”

That was it. You could look at him then. The smirk on his face was put there by you, not him. All the power was yours. The smirk evolved into an all-out grin.

“I fuckin’ like you.”

…

The hotel lobby was busy at 1:30pm on a Saturday. Luckily, Daphne was not one of the many people milling about. You felt that being there first showed you hadn’t and wouldn’t ditch her for Van. When she did waltz in, she greeted you with an expression of suspicion and a quote from Jennifer’s Body.

“It smells like Thai food in here. Have you guys been fucking?”

You made her promise never to quote the film again.

…

Despite calling it an 'early night,’ midnight had just ticked by when you and Daph walked back through the hotel. As you pressed the elevator button and watched your sister fish for the key card, you heard a voice calling your name.

“Ah, Miss? Miss Y/N? Ma'am?”

Spinning on the spot, you watched one of the hotel receptionists approach you. He was holding a gift bag like it was made of the finest china, then handed it over to you with a strange nod of the head.

“Uh, thanks,” you said slowly, watching him leave before turning back to Daphne.

The elevator arrived and the doors opened; you both stepped inside without saying anything.

“So… It’s your favourite colour… That a coincidence?” she asked.

Van laughed when you said your favourite colour was 'holographic.’ He said it wasn’t a real colour. Maybe, just maybe he’d accept 'rainbow,’ but holographic was just insane. So no, it wasn’t a coincidence the gift bag was a sparkly, shiny holographic colour. You didn’t want to tell Daph that. She was already getting the distinct impression that you were breaking the 'don’t make them fall in love’ rule.

“Are you just going to stare at it?”

“You’re gonna give me shit, no matter what it is,” you replied, looking over at her. She shrugged and nodded. It felt impolite to open it in the elevator, so you held it tightly while you were delivered to your floor and walked to your room.

Sitting on the bed opposite Daphne’s, you opened the bag and pulled out the pastel rainbow coloured alpaca stuffed animal. It was so cute that you wanted to throw it across the room, a feeling you couldn’t really explain.

“You told him about the alpacas? Christ, Y/N. Is there a wedding I don’t fuckin’ know about? Do you maybe wanna slow down a bit?”

“I’m not doing this on purpose,” you blurted out, looking up at her and hugging the alpaca to your chest. You loved him. 

'Him’ being the alpaca… of course.

…

The alarm wasn’t set too early Sunday, but it was still a working day with a Catfish show scheduled that night. Once you and Daph were dressed and fed by the buffet, you met up with the other techs and roadies and shared rides over to the venue.

Van and Bondy were in interviews all day, you knew that. Bob and Benji didn’t have to be at the venue until mid-afternoon for soundcheck. Despite knowing that, you were still left with the feeling of disappointment every time a door opened and it wasn’t Van or one of the guys walking through. You loved all the crew, but they were all far more professional than you expected. Only Larry would stop every now and then to offer banter and entertainment.

Ghosting Daphne gave you a lot of insight into her as a person and the life she had chosen. You weren’t jealous of her, but you would have swapped lives in a heartbeat. But maybe that has something to do with her constant proximity to Van.

“You know, think Van proper fancies you,” Larry said, snitching on his best friend like he’d never kept a promise his whole life.

“Yous been talking about me?” you asked, pretending to be shocked and appalled.

“Not me, love. Just him. All the time… Real shame you ain’t sticking around. Reckon he’s gonna get all mopey when you go,”

“I’m sure he’ll survive. Plenty of pretty girls around to distract him,” you said casually. An imagine of Van fucking an imaginary girl popped into your head and it made something in you shake.

“Nah. He ain’t like that… Mean, he used to be, when we was younger, you know? But he’s got too many feelings. Real softy,”

“Yeah. The stuffed toy in my hotel room kinda proves that,” you agreed.

Larry smiled and held onto the story of how hard it was for them to find a fucking alpaca toy in the city.

When Bob and Benji arrived, you sat on empty cases and watched them soundcheck their instruments. Even if you didn’t love music, it was an interesting process to watch. It kept you engaged enough that you didn’t even notice people behind you.

Suddenly, there were hands over your eyes and someone leaning into you.

“Guess who?” they asked, the fun of the situation weirdly not being reflected in their voice.

“Could it be the one, the only, the man, the enigma, the Johnny Bond?” you replied sarcastically.

Bondy laughed and leaned around, kissing your cheek. He climbed onto the case and sat next to you. It took a lot of self-control to not look around the room to see if Van had entered with Bondy.

“Good interviews and stuff?” you asked, not really knowing what to call it.

“Same old. One day, one fine fuckin’ day, someone will ask us something interesting, new,”

“I wouldn’t dream too hard 'bout that. Might be disappointed,”

“Eh. What’s new,” Bondy replied with a shrug. You looked over at him to read his expression, but he already being called over by his tech. “Duty calls, me love. You hangin’ around for the rest of the day?”

“Mmmhmm. Wherever Daph goes,”

“Right. Save us a drink, yeah?” he asked, walking backwards across the stage.

You nodded at him and smiled and felt that genuine attraction to him you did when you first met. That feeling swelled inside you as you watched him strap his guitar on and begin to tune it by ear. It was kind of mesmerising to watch. You could have got totally lost in him if Daphne didn’t shake you from behind, scaring you half to death. She laughed when you spun around and glared.

“Wait, wait. Before you bite my fuckin’ head off - I bear good news. Van’s here. He’s outside with Larry havin’ a smoke,”

“Why you telling me that when you keep teasin’ me about it?” you asked her.

Daph hesitated for a bit, then smiled softly. “Van’s a good person. That’s like, rare… And not even that, you know, like, he’s a good man… straight man,”

“He’s also white,” you added with a laugh.

“Cis,”

“Financially secure, possibly rich?”

You laughed with your sister at the state of the world. Bleak, yeah, but at least you had her.

“He’s good… So, if you like him-”

“I- I do- Fuck. I don’t know. I feel… Like, it’s stressing me out that…” you struggled to say.

“You have proper human feelings when you’re used to one night stands?”

“Wow,” you laughed. “But… yeah… I don’t know. I don’t want to, like, label… or anything…”

“Smart. But maybe you should still pop out and say hi to him. Thank him for the gift. Only polite,” Daph said.

You nodded, then slid off the case. After hugging it out, you left Daph to work while you navigated through the venue until you were outside.

Van’s face lit up when he saw you. Immediately, he put his cigarette out against the wall and threw the butt into the designated jar by the door. You walked into his open arms and let him hug you tight.

“I love my alpaca,” you mumbled into his chest.

“Yeah?!” He sounded like he was genuinely nervous you wouldn’t.

“Mmmhmm. Thank you. You really didn’t need to get me anything though. Not my birthday or anything,”

“Don’t need a reason to… you know.”

You stayed held together for a minute, only stepping away from Van when you realised Larry was still there. But, when you turned around he wasn’t. Sneaky.

“So… Soundcheck now, yeah?” you asked Van, knowing the answer.

He nodded. “Yeah. Then think everyone that don’t have stay and get shit sorted is going for tea together. We don’t always do that but sometimes,”

“Yeah, Daph told me. It’s cute. Like a family,”

“Yeah, exactly! I don’t know if she’s coming, but… if you wanna, you should,” Van said… or invited, rather. You nodded and smiled, then stepped back closer for more hugs. “You gonna hang around after? Know your flight’s early,”

“I’ll hang. Promised Bondy a drink,” you said, hoping he’d take the bait.

“Drink with Bondy, is it? Well, he can have all the drinks he wants with ya, still don’t have nothing on my alpaca.”

…

Daphne gave you the choice of watching Catfish from either the side of the stage, where you could see better but the sound would be a bit messy, or from the sound desk, which had the inverse features. It felt shallow but you deeply wanted to see them up close and personal. Nobody judged you for it, and Van more than revelled in the audience you were giving.

Each time he paused to swap a guitar or take a mouthful of water, he’d look over and smile. You didn’t know it, but he was checking you were still there. Am I doing good? Is this the best show she’s ever seen? Am I blowing her mind?

…

Van was still on top of his amplifier tower, working out how to make his guitar hang from the mic stand. “You’d think he would’ve figured that shit out by now,” Larry mumbled, standing ready to start the cleanup.

Benji was first off the stage and Bob followed quickly after. Both lingered only long enough to wave and throw picks and sticks out into the crowd, then disappeared backstage. Bondy was next and as he went to follow the path set by his bandmate’s, he hooked an arm around your waist and began to pull you along. Before you could even begin to protest, he was laughing.

“Don’t worry. He’s comin’, he’s comin’. Besides. Van’s always been better at performin’ when he’s a little razzed up. Figure that’s a theory that’s gotta transfer to… other areas, yeah?”

“What are you talking about?” you whined, squirming around but not actually fighting to make him let you go. If that’s what you wanted, it would have happened.

“Not talkin’ bout nothing. Just sayin’, have a drink me. Get comfy. Enjoy the show, love.”

As you entered the green room with Bondy, you narrowed your eyes at him and shook your head. He just smiled innocently, then let you go. Sitting on one of the two familiar couches, you watched him carefully select a drink for you. He’d been observant at some point. Maybe on the Friday he saw your screwed up face every time you drank the cat pee beer. Or maybe over dinner that night he listened for your drink order.

Ten minutes later, Van finally arrived in the room and you were well and truly playing the game set out by Bondy. He was sitting in the middle of the couch, with you next to him. Your back was to the armrest and your legs were draped over Bondy’s. The conversation wasn’t for show, and it was a pure coincidence that as Van approached you were in a fit of giggles.

Van casually fell into the space on the other side of Bondy. Not missing a beat, he swung his long legs up over yours, creating a pile of human limbs.

“Heavy!” you squeaked, wriggling in your seat and looking over at Van. He just looked back and smirked.

“Y/N says her favourite is Soundcheck,” Bondy told Van. 

“I like the guitar,” you added, watching the two of them.

“Told her that we was gonna put more solos in but you vetoed it,”

“What you tellin’ her lies for, mate?” Van replied, pulling a funny face then looking at you all smiles. “I said I liked them. Gives the crowd a good chance to do a bit of dancin’, you know? Bouncin’ around. Then he says that he can’t be fucked doin’ that many. Happy to sit some out while I play the acoustic ones,”

“That is not what fuckin’ happened,” Bondy quickly asserted.

You honestly couldn’t tell which story was true. And the way that Van and Bondy were grinning stupidly at each other didn’t help.

“You should just do more of both,” you said. They both looked at you. “More solos. More 'this is Johnny Bond’ and all that. More acoustic ones that make all the girls melt,”

“All the girls?” Van asked.

“You’re right, no, not all the girls. The straight girls and the boy-attracted boys,” you clarified.

With the conversation not having the desired effect, Bondy upped his game. While you clarified, he leaned over and put his empty bottle on the ground. In his move back up, he casually but obviously ran a hand from your ankle, up your leg, to be sitting on your thigh, just above your knee. Involuntarily, you shivered under the touch. You had watched Van clock Bondy’s movement and not really react. But, when you shivered, Van’s eyes flicked to yours and his smile faded just a little.

“Did you get to see my alpaca before Van gave it to me?” you asked Bondy suddenly. The words kind of just slipped out of your mouth in an effort to make Van smile again. It wasn’t even an entirely conscious process. It was an effective one though. Van looked proud as punch.

“No, but I heard all about the fuckin’ rainbow alpaca. Wouldn’t be my first choice in gift for ya,” he replied, looking over at Van as he finished his sentence.

Van looked entirely unbothered in response. That was it; Bondy could do and say whatever he wanted and Van wouldn’t give a fuck. You, on the other hand, were a different story.

“What would be?” you asked.

Bondy rolled his head and looked at you, that signature lazy smile on his face. The pause may have been for dramatic effect, or it may have been because he was still thinking of something to say.

“If ya lucky, love, I’ll show ya later.”

All three of you knew it was the most ridiculous thing he could have said. Bondy managed to keep a straight face though. Van snorted and just looked at you and grinned happily.

“Think maybe I’ll stick with my alpaca, thanks, Bond,”

“See, mate?” Van said then, moving his legs off the pile and standing up. He held a hand out to you, which you took without pause. “Nothing can beat a rainbow alpaca.”

…

It was probably Bondy’s idea but it could have been whispered to him by Daphne, who was the queen of making bad ideas seem like they came from other people. Wherever the idea came from, not many people were on board when Bondy suggested it. Everybody had to be up early in the morning to load into buses and vans. It was time to move on to the next city, and it was time for you to go home. The early morning meant nobody cheered when Bondy slurred something about a rooftop and sunrise because it was already so close to then anyway.

When the venue kicked the last people standing out, there were six of you.

“Alright. Who’s fuckin’ doin’ this then? Daph? Surely. Daph!” Bondy said, kneeling on one knee in front of her.

Daphne just laughed at him, impressed with her own inception work. She looked at you then. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you agreed.

Van was standing behind you, his arms around your shoulders keeping you warm. He kissed the top of your head. “I’m in,”

“Yeah… That was a given,” Daph said with a snort.

“Larry?” Bondy said, still on one knee for no reason at all.

“Nah, mate. You don’t have to be a human till night tomorrow. I gotta do shit in the day,” Larry replied. His phone was already in his hands presumably booking an Uber.

“Why do ya even pretend you do work?” Bondy asked, trying to hook Larry into some sort of casual biff.

“He does work!” Van cut in. No use fighting Larry while Van was around.

“What 'bout you, mate? Coming?” Van asked the sixth and final member of the group.

“Lincoln,” you said under your breath.

He heard you though, giving you a strange look before saying, “Nah. Still ain’t use to lack of sleep. Might head back with Laz.”

Everybody waited for the Uber, sending Larry and Lincoln off to bed in the safety of a car. With that parental job complete, the four of you ventured onwards into the city. 

Every alleyway was checked for external staircases or open doors. It took half an hour to find a building with something workable.

It was an old building and the stained glass windows and old bricks looked so anachronistic against the backdrop of the city and the shiny steel stairwell attached to it. The stairs lead to the roof; you could see that from the ground. Bondy said that a lot of old places had additions like that. He also said he could pick the lock on the thin gate separating the four of you from the city skyline.

When Johnny Bond says he can do a thing, he can do a thing. Mostly. Sometimes. Eh, you take your chances. In this instance though, he delivered.

He lead the way up, Daphne following him, wondering what else she could make him do. Then it was you, then Van. He walked with his hands flat on your lower back, pushing you up the stairs. Even before reaching the top, you knew it was the right lock to pick. A sound of abject celebration came from Bondy. As you walked across the rooftop, watching Bond pick Daph up and spin her around, then settle seated on a ledge, you looked out over the lights.

Van followed along, quietly standing at your side when you picked a place. He took your hand, threaded his fingers through yours.

“You must be used to stuff like this,” you said.

“Don’t think you can ever get used to it. I mean… I don’t always go looking at the cities we go to. Probably should. But even I know a good thing when I see it.”

It made you smile and when you looked up at him, he was already looking at you. He bit his lip then made a weird face.

“Should we sit?” you asked, moving to sit on the ledge. It was a good width, more than enough to sit on cross-legged safely, yet, Van pulled you back by the hand.

“Nah, babe. You ain’t getting that close. I’ll find you somewhere nice. Come on,” he said with confidence that would suggest he’d been on the rooftop before.

You glanced quickly at Bondy and Daph, who were happy doing whatever it was they were doing, then let Van take you around the other side of the rooftop. The roof was split in half by what was presumably the top of the internal stairwell. It looked like a large concrete block, with one door in. On your side, you found your faith in the McCann magic you’d heard all about.

This was the side with the sunrise horizon. Or, at least, it would be soon. You and Van were not the first to discover the place; there was a big, old couch in the middle of the space. It had seen better days but it would see so many more.

It surprised you when Van didn’t say some sort of charming variation of 'I told you so.’ He just sat on the couch on an angle, one leg on the ground and the other stretched across it. He held his arms up in an invitation, which you immediately accepted, laying down with him and letting him bundle you up in his warm jacket and arms.

Despite that late… early… hour, the city was not silent. There was traffic, far off voices. Sirens every now and then. Bondy and Daphne’s conversation wasn’t audible, but they made strange bird calling sounds every few minutes. With your head resting against Van’s chest, you could even hear his heartbeat when you concentrated on the rhythm.

It was like that for a long time. Calm. Safe. Existing.

“Y/N?” Van whispered.

You were almost asleep. Judging by his voice, Van was too.

“Mmm?”

“I don’t want you to go,”

“I don’t want to go.”

When the sun started to rise a little later, Van was asleep. You could tell because it would have been spectacular to see and he would have woken you up so you’d not miss it. Already awake though, you could feel the warm sun slowly start to heat your back. Bondy and Daph had gone quiet but you didn’t wonder about it. Instead, you just kept your eyes closed, arms around Van, and pretended it wasn’t a matter of mere hours before you were flying away from it all.


End file.
